Erowid Note: This FAQ was not authored by Erowid. It may include out-of-date and/or incorrect information. Please check the version date to see when it was most recently revised. It appears on Erowid as part of our historical archives. For current information, see Erowid's summary pages in the substance's main vault.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is the primary inactivation pathway of most
tryptamines. That's why inhibitors of the MAO enzyme (MAOIs) can be
used to potentiate the effects of tryptamines and to make DMT and 5-MeO-DMT
orally active.

MAO inhibitors fall into two classes: Irreversible and reversible MAOIs.
In addition they can inhibit either or both of the two types of the MAO
enzyme, MAO-A and MAO-B which are associated with serotonergic and
dopaminergic neurons respectively. Irreversible MAOIs (e.g. the hydrazides
iproniazid and phenelzine) bind permanently to the enzyme and cause MAO
inhibition lasting 1-2 weeks after ingestion. They are used clinically to
treat depression. Reversible MAOIs, such as moclobemide, which is used as an
antidepressant, and the beta-carbolines harmine and harmaline, are effective
for much shorter time, maybe up to 24 hours. Recreational drug users around
the world are using mainly harmine and harmaline despite the lack of
scientific studies on their effects on humans.

Natives of Amazon have traditionally combined Banisteriopsis caapi vine,
which contains harmine, harmaline and related beta-carbolines, with DMT-containing
plants to make an orally active brew called ayahuasca
(@ Erowid). Other
plants containing harmine and/or harmaline can be substituted for B. caapi. The usual 'North American ayahuasca'
consists of Peganum harmala (
picture, another picture,
seeds and Desmanthus illinoensis roots, and in
Australian 'acaciahuasca'
leaves of Acacia complanata are combined with material from
DMT-containing acacias (the effectivity of this mixture hasn't been
confirmed). Nausea is minimized in 'pharmahuasca', which consists of
pure DMT and a reversible MAO-inhibitor such as harmine or moclobemide.
When the DMT is in a plant extract taking it with a pure MAO inhibiting
substance instead of a plant containing MAOIs usually reduces nausea
and other body load significantly.
MAOIs have also been used to potentiate the effects of mushrooms containing
psilocybin and even phenethylamines -- the latter combination can be very
dangerous. DPT ingested with MAOIs has been called 'propylhuasca'; DPT
is orally active by itself and its dosage should be smaller when potentiated
by MAOIs.

Peganum harmala (Syrian rue) seeds - pictured - are the most concentrated natural source
of harmine and harmaline - about 3% of their weight consists of these
alkaloids. Banisteriopsis caapi has been found to contain from 0.18% to
1.36% beta-carbolines, with the concentration of harmine being from 0.057%
to 0.635% (McKenna et al. 1984). According to anecdotal
reports one gram (corresponding to approx. 30 mg of harmine/harmaline)
of P. harmala seeds ingested inhibits MAO enough to make DMT orally active,
while 75 mg of moclobemide is sufficient for the same purpose.

Harmine and harmaline are hallucinogenic on their own with doses
starting from around 300 mg (Naranjo 1967), but often cause physical
side-effects such as nausea and tremors in this dose range. They have little
emotional or 'psychedelic' effects, but produce strong visual hallucinations.
Because of this the natives of Amazon often add larger amounts (75-100 cm of
stem per dose) of B. caapi to ayahuasca brew than is needed for MAO inhibition
(Luna 1984). The psychedelic effects of moclobemide at
normal
antidepressant doses (e.g. 150 mg/day) are limited to slight hallucinations of
the sense of balance, which is rarely affected by other drugs.

A combination of a MAO inhitor and DMT tends to induce drowsiness. Perhaps
this is why natives often smoke tobacco and/or drink caffeine-containing
drinks
while preparing and tripping on ayahuasca. The MAO-B inhibition of nicotine
might also be a reason for smoking it, although it is unclear to which extent
inhibition of just MAO-B activates or potentiates tryptamines.

There are significant dangers in using MAO inhibitors. Most MAOIs potentiate
the cardiovascular effects of tyramine and other monoamines found in
foods. Ingestion of aged cheese, beer, wine, pickled herring, chicken liver,
yeast, large amounts of coffee, citrus fruits, canned figs, broad beans,
chocolate or cream while MAO is inhibited can cause a hypertensive
crisis including a dangerous rise in blood pressure. You can also look at a
more complete list of foods to avoid when receiving
MAOI therapy. MAOIs interact with other psychoactive substances in
addition
to tryptamines; effects of amphetamines, general anaesthetics, sedatives,
anti-histamines,
alcohol, potent analgesics and anticholinergic and antidepressant agents are
prolonged and intensified. Overdosage of MAOIs by themselves is also
possible with effects including hyperreflexia and convulsions. It should be
noted, however, that these strict warnings apply best in the case of
irreversible MAOIs, and many users of reversible MAOIs to activate or
potentiate tryptamines are not quite as careful with no apparent ill effects.

Tryptamine derivatives and beta-Carbolines have been detected as
endogenous metabolites in mammals, including humans. Methyl transferases
that catalyze the synthesis of tryptamines, including DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and
bufotenine, are found in human lung, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, liver
and heart (McKenna & Towers 1984). In the pineal gland MAO is the primary
inactivation pathway of serotonin, a neurotransmitter synthesized from the
amino acid tryptophan. If MAO is blocked by harmine, harmaline or other MAO
inhibitors serotonin can be converted by the methyltransferase enzymes
HIOMT and INMT into psychedelic tryptamines (serotonin --(HIOMT)-->
5-MeO-trypt. --(2*INMT)--> 5-MeO-DMT).

So, ingesting l-tryptophan to increase serotonin levels, a candy bar to
increase the amount of tryptophan getting to your brain and natural
plant material containing 25-50 mg harmine/harmaline to block MAO, all at the
same time, might cause your pineal gland to synthesize substantial amounts of
5-MeO-DMT (Most 1986). Similar results might be obtained
by substituting 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
for tryptophan. Normal sleep-inducing doses of melatonin have also been
taken with reversible MAOIs with the resulting psychoactive effects
suggesting significant interaction of the two substances.
This is extremely dangerous for persons with existing
amine imbalance or schizophrenia. For normal, healthy people possible
consequences are bad.

A potent inhibitor of INMT, which is a necessary enzyme for the synthesis
of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, is found in particularly high concentrations in the
pineal gland. A bypassing or inhibition of the synthesis of this inhibitor
might be responsible for trances and other psychedelic states achieved
"without drugs" (Strassman 1990). See Strassman's article for more info and
speculation about the pineal gland.

Many animals, including mammals, contain psychoactive tryptamines. Below
are two examples.

Family: Hominidae

Genus: Homo

Species: sapiens

Small amounts of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT can be found in the cerebrospinal fluid
of psychiatrically normal humans, schizophrenics and manics
(Corbett et al. 1978).

Genus: Bufo

Species: alvarius

Bufotenine and related 5-hydroxy-indolethylamines are common constituents
of venoms of the genera Hyla, Leptodactylus, Rana and Bufo. Bufotenine
is not psychedelic in reasonable doses (with larger doses there are
dangerous physiological side effects), but the skin of one species, Bufo
alvarius, contains 50-160 mg 5-MeO-DMT/g of skin (Daly & Witkop 1971).
It's a very large (upto 17 cm) toad with cranial crests and elongated
parotid glands, and is the only Bufo species known to contain a hallucinogenic tryptamine
(McKenna & Towers 1984). Most (1984) gives instructions for collecting
and drying the venom:

Fresh venom can easily be collected without harm to the toad. Use a flat
glass plate or any other smooth, nonporous surface at least 12-inches
square. Hold the toad in front of the plate, which is fixed in a vertical
position. In this manner, the venom can be collected on the glass plate,
free of dirt and liquid released when the toad is handled.

When you are ready to begin, hold the toad firmly with one hand and, with
the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, squeeze near the base of the
gland until the venom squirts out of the pores and onto the glass plate. Use
this method to systematically collect the venom from each of the toad's
granular glands: those on the forearm, those on the tibia and femur of the
hind leg, and, of course, the
parotids on the neck. Each gland can be
squeezed a second time for an additional yield of venom if you allow the toad
a one-hour rest preiod. After this the glands are empty and require four to
to six weeks for regeneration.

The venom is viscous and milky-white in color when first squeezed from the
glands. It begins to dry within minutes and acquires the color and texture
of rubber cement. Scrape the venom from the glass plate, dry it thoroughly,
and store it in an airtight container until you are ready to smoke it.

In comparison to the pure compounds the toad venom appears longer lasting
and, because one does not completely lose contact with reality, far more
pleasant, even sensual. Shortly after inhalation I experienced warm flushing
sensations, a sense of wonder and well-being, strong auditory hallucinations,
which included an insect-cicada sound that ran across my mind and seemed to
link my body to the earth. Though I was indoors, there was a sense of the
feel of the earth, the dry desert soil passing through my fingers, the stars
at midday, the scent of cactus and sage, the feel of dry leaves through hands.
Strong visual hallucinations in orblike brilliance, diamond patterns that
undulated across my visual field. The experience was in every sense pleasant,
with no disturbing physical symptoms, no nausea, perhaps a slight sense of
increased heart rate. Warm waves coursed up and down my body. The effects
lasted only a few minutes but a pleasant afterglow continued for almost an
hour. (Wade Davis, personal observation, January 12, 1991)

Profound alteration of consciousness within a few seconds of exhaling. I
relax into a deep, peaceful interior awareness. There is nothing scary about
the effects and no sense of toxicity. I try to describe my feelings but am
unable to talk for the first five minutes and then only with some difficulty.
This is a powerful psychoactive drug, one that I think would appeal to most
people who like the effects of hallucinogens. For the next hour I feel slow
and velvety, with a slight pressure in my head. No long-lasting effects to
report. (Andrew T. Weil, personal observation, January 12, 1991).

This mushrooms was claimed by Peele of Florida Mycology Research Center (FMRC, POB 18105, Pensacola, FL 32523) to contain a legal tryptamine, which produces a trip with less physical symptoms and better ability of logical thinking than psilocin or psilocybin. Bioassay results didn't find psychoactivity (Akers 1992). [Erowid Note: Alan Rockefeller states that this species has been shown not to contain any psychoactive tryptamines.]

Crouch et al. (1992) reported finding DMT in brown seaweed extract sold as
Kelpak and intended to be used as a plant fertilizer. However, subsequent
analysis by J. Gartz suggests none is present.

Family: Apocynaceae

Genus: Prestonia

Species: amazonica?

May contain DMT but the specimen used may have been misidentified (Smith 1977).

Family: Cactaceae

Genus: Echinocereus

Species: salm-dyckianus,
triglochidiatus

These cacti growing in Mexico are known to Tarahumare Indians as peyote or
hikuli and used in their festivals. E. triglochidiatus contains a tryptamine
derivative, possibly 5-MeO-DMT (Bye 1979). E. salm-dyckianus is also supposed
to contain tryptamines according to Horus Botanicals catalog 1992.

Columbus first noted the use of a snuff made from A. peregrina called Cohoba
by the Taino Indians of an island called Hispaniola.
Black beans from this tree (and possibly others above) are toasted, pulverized
and mixed with ashes or calcined shells to make psychedelic snuff called yopo
by Indians in
Orinoco basin in Colombia, Venezuela and possibly in southern part of
Brasilian Amazon. Yopo is blown into the nostrils through bamboo tubes
or snuffed by birdbone tubes. Its use was first reporter in 1801 by
A. von Humboldt and was later studied by R. Spruce. Snuff made
from A. colubrina is called vilca in Bolivia, and might have been used
as an enema by the Incas.

Thompson et al. report that the root bark of this North American perennial
shrub contains 0.34% DMT and 0.11% N-methyltryptamine. The bark accounts
for about a half of the total weight of the roots. The plant should be
resistant to cold and draught and easy to grow.
D. illinoensis seeds, dried root and dried root bark
can be ordered from several suppliers. Seeds are also available from more main-stream
mail-order houses.

Genus: Mimosa

Species: scabrella,
tenuiflora (== hostilis) "tepescohuite" pictured,
verrucosa
The roots of M. hostilis, which is not the common houseplant M. pudica
("sensitive plant"), contain 0.57% DMT and are used by Indians of Pernambuso
State in Brazil as part of their Yurema cult (Pachter et al. 1959,
Schultes 1977, (Meckes-Lozoya et al. 1990). The root bark can
be powdered e.g. in a coffee grinder, boiled in 30% lemon juice for an hour and strained through a
paper filter to produce liquid for ingestion. 8-20 g of the root bark prepared this way has been reported
to give a trip with nausea, both the intensity of the psychedelic effect and the nausea being strong at the
20 g dosage. An acid-base extraction method (involving e.g. hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and petroleum ether
with CaCO2 for drying) can be used to get DMT crystals, which can then be smoked (below, a recipe for Phalaris).
As M. hostilis root bark is one of the most concentrated plant sources of DMT mild effects can be felt from smoking ground bark.
M. scabrella contains DMT and
N-methyltryptamine (De Moraes et al., 1990). Bark of M. verrucosa also contains DMT (Smith 1977).

Natives of western Amazon add DMT- and N-methyltryptamine containing
leaves of the vine D. cabrerana to a drink made from Banisteriopsis caapi,
which contains beta-carbolines harmine and harmaline (Schultes 1977, Smith 1977).
D. cabrerana is also known as Banisteriopsis rusbyana. 3-8 leaves of this plant can be boiled in water
containing lemon juice for one or two hours and filtered to produce a relatively easily ingested liquid that is
active when combined with MAO-inhibitors. With 6 leaves the psychedelic effect from such a brew has been
reported to be strong, with minimal nausea compared to e.g. M. hostilis.

The bark resin of these trees is used to prepare hallucinogenic snuffs
in northwestern Brazil by boiling, drying and pulverizing it. Sometimes
leaves of a Justicia are added. The snuff acts rapidly and violently,
"effects include excitement, numbness of the limbs, twitching of facial
muscles, nausea, hallucinations, and finally a deep sleep; macroscopia is
frequent and enters into Waika beliefs about the spirits resident in the
drug." Snuffs made from V. theiodora bark contain up to 11% 5-MeO-DMT and
DMT. Also leaves, roots and flowers contain DMT.

Amazonian Colombia natives roll small pellets of boiled resin in a
evaporated filtrate of bark ashes of Gustavia Poeppigiana and ingest
them to bring on a rapid intoxication (Smith 1977, Schultes 1977).

Jim DeKorne (1996) has reported that strong varieties of
P. Arundinacea can be processed simply with a wheatgrass juicer to yield a
liquid that is potent enough for one teaspoon to be effective with MAOIs.
He has prepared a potent smokable extract
as follows: grass clippings are pulverized and water is added to make a
pourable mixture, which is then acidified to about pH 5. The mix can then be
heated overnight while evaporation is not allowed. The plant matter is
separated by first using a cheesecloth and then a paper coffee filter.
10-15% of the mass of the resulting solution of a "defatting solvent"
(e.g. methylene chloride, ether, chloroform, or naptha) is then added. After
vigorous shaking the water containing the alkaloids is separated from the
solvent. A base is added to the aqueous solution in small increments until the
pH gets to about 9 or 10, which converts the alkaloids into their free base.
Extraction is then performed four times with an organic solvent, comprising
10% of the mass of the solution, first after 24 hours and then at three
weekly intervals, while the solvent layer
takes on a darker tint (usually yellowish or reddish-brown). In total the
extraction takes almost a month and the solution should
be shaken at least twice a day between extractions.
To isolate the alkaloids the solvent is finally evaporated from the combined
extract fractions.

Psychotria leaves are added to a hallucinogenic drink prepared from
Banisteriopsis caapi and B. rusbyana (which contain beta-carbolines) to
strengthen and lengthen the effects in western Amazon. P. carthaginensis
and P. viridis both contain DMT (Rivier, 1972). P. viridis
seeds are available from commercial suppliers.